


Of Princes and Dread Smugglers

by SerStolas



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Princess Bride Fusion, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, M/M, it's kind of cracky, lightsabers are as cool as rapiers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-03-02 08:24:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 18,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13314291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerStolas/pseuds/SerStolas
Summary: When Lyra and Leia Andor are sick in bed, their uncles Baze and Chirrut come to visit and tell them a story of sword fights, adventure, and kissing.Jyn and Cassian are amused.For the fantastic Imsfire, who has supported is crazy crack endeavour.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Star Wars belongs to Disney/LucasArts
> 
> Many thanks to Lights, Cog, and Telekinetic HedgeHog for their inspiration!
> 
> Fair warning, updates may be sporadic.

Lyra Andor huffed and collapsed back onto her pillows, eyes only half on the Nintendo DS in her hands. She felt worn out and achy and she was bored, this being her second day stuck at home, sick in bed. At least at school she would be doing something interesting, but her mother and father steadfastly refused to send either her, or her twin sister Leia Andor, to school sick. 

Leia meanwhile was watching Lyra, her expression mischievous as she lobbed a stuffed animal across the room at her sister.  
Lyra sputtered as it hit her shoulder and set the DS down, glaring at her sister a moment before she lobbed it back at Leia. THat lead to five minutes of giggling as the girls threw stuffed animals at each other. Then Leia misjudged at threw one a bit too far, and it sailed over their father's shoulder as Cassian Andor opened the door to check on his daughters. He arched a brow at the two little girls who were looking at him with identical expressions of feigned innocence, their green eyes the same shade as their mother's and reminding him very much of his wife.

"Behaving?" he asked them.

"Of course, Papa," Lyra replied with a sweet smile, and Leia mimicked the expression. They had certainly gotten their spunk from their mother, Cassian thought.

"Or at least pretending to," Jyn replied from behind Cassian. He turned a bit so his wife could regard their daughters. "Your Papa and I both have to go to work today, but your Uncles Baze and Chirrut will here to keep an eye on you.

Both girls eyes lit up at that. "Do you think Uncle Baze will tell us a story?" Leia asked.

"He just might," Cassian replied. He glanced at Jyn as the doorbell rang and she chuckled, kissing his cheek before she went to let Baze and Chirrut in.

Lyra and Leia could here their mother greeting their uncles as Cassian came in and gave both girls hugs and kisses on their foreheads. Jyn returned to their room with Baze and Chirrut in tow, giving both her girls a hug and kiss before she and Cassian had to leave.

"Be good for your uncles," Jyn told her girls.

"We will!" Leia and Lyra chirped. 

"They'll be fine," Chirrut told Cassian and Jyn in a light tone as the parents left for work. He hummed to himself, moving through the Andor house with a practiced ease as he locked the door and then returned to his nieces' bedroom, hearing the familiar rumble of his husband's voice as Baze spoke to the girls.

"Your mother mentioned you two were getting antsy yesterday," Baze told the girls as he settled into the sturdy rocker Jyn used to rock the girls to sleep in. He unzipped his backpack and pulled out worn looking book with a dull brown cover. "So I thought I might read you this."

"Are there any pictures?" Leia asked.

"No pictures," Chirrut chimed in as he settled into a comfortable position on the floor. "But the two of you can use your imaginations."

Lyra frowned a little then looked at Leia, who shrugged.

"I guess we can try," Lyra conceded.

"Very well." Baze carefully perfect a pair of glasses on his nose and thumbed open the book:

In a galaxy long ago, far, far away, there lived a steady, handsome young man.

He worked in a shall shop on the planet of Coruscant, fixing and repairing droids and watching the counter. While Coruscant was a large planet, Jeron was generally considered to be one of the handsomest. He had deep brown eyes and dark curls that many young women and men would swoon over. He was always ready to help.

There was a young woman who also worked at the shop at the behest of the owner. She was small and spitfire, with bright green eyes and dark hair she kept in a messy bun. She was stubborn and often determined to do all her work on her own, even when someone might be willing to lend a hand. Her name was Stardust.

Stardust was often sharp with Jeron, quick of tongue and wit. She did not trust easily and took nothing for granted. Early in her life she had learned that help often comes at a price, and that eventually, everyone left. While Jeron was more than happy to help her, and always appeared when she most needed help, she assumed, like everyone else, eventually, he would leave, and she would be alone again in the shop.

Jeron surprised her, though. He was there when no one else was. When she could not reach something, or the time she fell because the boxes she had climbed on to reach something were unbalanced. He helped her up and checked to ensure she had not broken anything while she eyed him with some suspicion.

Whenever she was sent to fetch new parts, deliver something, or pick up an order, Jeron would greet her at the door when she returned.

He would smile at her as she came through the door and nod. “Welcome home, Stardust.”

Over time, Stardust began to realize that what he really meant when he was saying was "I love you."

And she realized, as he worked with her over time, that she loved him too. She wished for them to marry, but they were both young, and neither had much money.

"I will go and find my fortune," Stardust told him. “You must stay here, too many people depend on you.”

“You will come home to me,” Jeron told her. “And I shall wrap you in my arms and tell you ‘welcome home’ when you return. I am always with you.”

Stardust sighed. “If something happens…”

“No,” Jeron told her. “Not even death can stop true love.” He leaned his head down and brushed his lips against her own, and she leaned into him.

"EWWWW, this is a kissing book, isn't it?" Leia demanded.

Baze looked up from the pages and regarded his niece. "It is an aspect, young Leia, but there is still much more to be had."

"Kissing isn't that bad," Lyra told her sister. "Mama and Papa kiss often."

Leia huffed and leaned back on her pillows.

Baze lifted a brow at her again before he continued to read:

Sadly, months after he had left, a messenger appeared at the shop door, advising Jeron that the transport that Stardust had been on had been struck down, and Stardust killed, along with all of the other passengers, by the Dread Smuggler Roberts  
Jeron shut himself in the shop for weeks afterwards. He knew she had to come back to him. They were each other’s home. He would hold out hope, and someday, he would see his Stardust again.

He presented a somber face to the world though, knowing that they would not agree with his hope, or his insistence that his Stardust lived.

Someday, she would be home again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a note on names - High Prince Skyguy was named after the nickname used for a character in Clone Wars.
> 
> I'm sorry, somehow this chapter came out a little weird

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Star Wars belongs to Disney/LucasArts

Leia and Lyra watched their uncle with wide eyes.

"You're telling us a sad story?" Leia demanded.

Baze glanced up from the pages, peering at this niece through his spectacles. "I never said that," he replied calmly. "And if you will notice, I am not that far into the book yet."

"Perhaps this is all just a bit much for them?" Chirrut suggested.

"No!" Lyra cried. "Uncle Baze, please keep reading?"

Chirrut chuckled softly and Baze waited for the girls to settle down a moment before he continued:

Five years passed, and Jeron found himself caught up in local politics, though he did not want to be. Jeron was a smart young man, and a kind one, very popular among the citizens of his district. There were also rumors, though, that he did not entirely agree wiht the local government, and that he might be helping out those who sought to rebel.

His popularity had come to the attention of the Empire. In some places, they made people simply disappear, when they became too much trouble, but the story of the young man who had lost his dearest love, yet still continued to show kindness and help his fellow citizens, was too popular a one for them to simply make him disappear.

You see, Jeron had made many contacts over the past few years, contacts that the planet's rumor and Empire's representative in this sector of the galaxy, thought they could make use of. High Prince Skyguy decided that rather than disposing of this possible resource, they would use him.

Jeron, of course, had no interest in helping the Empire. He had seen the misery they caused his fellow citizens, and he had no love for them.

But when threats were made against friends, against those he knew, Jeron knew he had but one choice.

Jeron 'volunteered' to work for High Prince Skyguy. Working under High Prince Skyguy would give him access to certain information that might help those who could use it against the Empire, though it would also mean he would be very carefully watched. Jeron very much hated the whole arrangement, but one of his greatest reasons for avoiding all of the espionage and politics that one of his mentors had once tried to push him towards was gone.

After five years, he still hoped, though he knew probably in vain, that he would see his Stardust again.

And so Jeron, personally miserable, did what he must. The Empire and High Prince Skyguy were too powerful and dangerous to openly resist. Instead, he pretended to act as their agent, and gave what information he could glean secretly to friends.

Eventually, due to his popularity and obscure politics Jeron really didn't wish to dig too deeply into, they named him "Prince Jeron." He would not be High Prince Skyguy's spouse, for High Prince Skyguy was far too old for that, it was said, but his heir, as High Prince Skyguy was heir to the Emperor himself.

Jeron supposed that someone had pushed for an official chain of inheritance, perhaps the rich nobles and politicians from various planets that supplied the Empire with it's wealth and might. Everyone knew it was an empty chain of inheritance to begin with.

Jeron hated it all, though he knew he did some good by passing on what information he could.

His only joy came from his quiet visits to a forest moon. It was one of the only places that he was not constantly watched by the Empire or High Prince Skyguy's troops. It was the only place where he allowed himself to ever relax.

He disembarked from the shuttle that High Prince Skyguy had ordered to take him to the moon. He had only an afternoon to himself, and should he not return by the appointed hour, there were certain threats that were made against him, and others. 

He was a cautious man, moving carefully through the forest, moving towards a drop point where he could leave the report of his information for the Rebellion. Somehow, the Rebellion had managed to steer clear of the Empire on this planet, and evidently no one suspected there was a drop point here.

He'd made it safely to the drop point, careful to ensure that there were no Stormtrooper's following him, and pulled a package concealed inside his shirt, placing it carefully in the hollow of the tree. He casually continued walking on after that, making a familiar loop back towards the base, as it was always possible someone might be tracking his movements, and he didn't want to go too far off his normal pattern if they were.

This was an sparsely inhabited moon, so even with his own mental turmoil, Prince Jeron was very surprised indeed to encounter an odd trio in his quiet walk.

There was one man dressed in white, with graying hair and a serious expression, a tall Imperial droid, a K2 model specially, and a   
slightly nervous looking young man, perhaps Jeron's own age, with dark hair and goggles perched on his forehead.

"Ah, good sir, we are but poor, lost freight haulers, crashed on this moon. Is there anyone around that might help us?"

"Not for some kilometers," Jeron replied with a frown, reaching for a weapon he kept under his jacket.

The man in white smiled evilly. "Then there shall be no one to hear you scream." And while Jeron's blaster was in his hand, the man in white was faster, shooting him with some device that paralyzed him in place.

"What do we do with him now, Krecini?" the goggled man asked, watching Jeron's form slump towards the ground.

"K-2FZ, pick him up, lets get him back to the ship and get out of here before the Imperials realize he is gone," Krecini ordered. The large droid moved, picking up Jeron by his collar. "The chances of your escape are very low," K-2FZ informed Jeron. "though I do not understand the reason why we are going to all this trouble."

"Let us hurry," the goggled man told the droid. "We need to get back to the ship.

"I think you also overestimate how quickly the Imperials will realize he is gone, Rook," K-2FZ informed the man as he carried Jeron's paralyzed form back through the forest.

"Shut up, both of you, stop arguing," Krecini ordered. "It is hard to hear myself think with that racket." 

"What do you think is the probability of Krecini's hair going completely gray by the time this is all over?" Rook Montoya asked the droid curiously. 

"Very high," K-2FZ responded.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls ask more questions and our intrepid Prince finds himself in a predicament. 
> 
> Fair warning, I am heavily mimicking the plot of Princess Bride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Star Wars belongs to Disney/LucasArts

"So they made Jeron freeze?" Lyra interrupted, her brows creasing. "With what?"

"With a freeze ray," Baze replied, rubbing his forehead. The girls were always full of questions. He adored Jyn and Cassian's girls, but so many questions.

"Those don't exist," Leia snorted.

"Not in our galaxy," Chirrut replied from his comfortable position on the floor. "But this story does not take place in our galaxy, or even our time."

Leia and Lyra's brows creased a moment, then Lyra shrugged. "It must be magic," she told her sister.

"I spose," Leia responded. She looked expectantly at Baze.

He smiled and continued:

As they boarded and old freight hauler, Krecini paused, carefully tearing a patch off what looked like a uniform. Jeron was hled fast by the droid, K-2FZ's, hands, but he could see Krecini drop the patch on the ground before he ordered everyone onto the ship.

Jeron found his hands bound by the begoggled man, Rook, as a precaution, as he was placed in a chair in the cockpit of a worn starship by the overlarge droid. Rook then settled into the pilot's seat as Krecini lounged in the co-pilot chair. The droid stood by Jeron as if on guard.

"Hurry," Krecini snapped at Rook. "We've a long way to go and we need to jump to lightspeed.

"A ship cannot simply take off upon command," Rook argued. "I must make sure everything is secure before we take to space."

"Just hurry up," Krecini replied. 

"The chances of Krecini becoming more irritated are 87.2%," K-2FZ informed Rook. 

Rook sighed under his breath as the ship took off. 

As the ship jumped to lightspeed, Jeron found himself glaring at Krecini. "What is the point in even kidnapping me? I'm no one."

"You are the unfortunate heir of High Prince Skyguy," Krecini informed him in a smug tone. "While you yourself are correct, you are no one of import, your position is one of importance. I have been paid handsomely to deal with you and get you out of the way, and so I shall."

"And just what do you intend to do to me?" Jeron asked, sensing perhaps that Krecini might be the sort to brag about his plans. Jeron felt it very important to know what Krecini's plan for him was.

Krecini turned towards Jeron and seemed to size him up, that same smirk on the man's face. Jeron would give anything at that moment to wipe that self satisfied smirk off the graying man's face.

The truth was that Jeron hated High Prince Skyguy, he always had, but High Prince Skyguy had the power to do and pretty much declare whatever he wanted, and Jeron knew it better to protect his friends, and do his part to give the Rebellion the information he could, therefore he had remained a part of High Prince Skyguy's organization and chain of command.

Jeron watched Krecini, thinking he might be the type to be willing to brag about his plan, but Krecini did not yet appear to be rising to the bate that Jeron gave him.

"What was the deal with that patch anyways?" Rook asked from the pilot's seat as they slid through hyperspace.

"A patch from the uniform of a Scariff army officer," Krecini replied downright gleefully.

Rook turned his head and stared blankly at Krecini. "Why?"

"Because the independent planet of Scariff and the Empire despise each other," Krecini smiled. "And when High Prince Skyguy's troops discover his heir has been taken by the Scariff military, he will be angered. And when they find the body of his heir in the beaches of Scariff, then the Empire will declare war on Scariff!"

"Why do we want them to declare war?" Rook frowned, looking slightly disturbed by this revelation. 

"My calculations lead me to believe there is a 93.1% chance that this plan is a bad idea," K-2FZ informed Krecini.

"Did I just hear the word 'believe come out of your mouth'?" Krecini sneered. "I did not hire you to believe anything. I hired you as muscle. Do you really want to go back to where I found you? About to be dissembled, in a scrap yard on Dantooine?!"

K-2FZ did not look happy at that suggestion.

There was an odd bump and Rook swore. "I have to take the ship out of hyperspace, something is going on with the engine."

As they winked out of hyperspace, Jeron could see an asteroid field somewhere in the distance. He wasn't quite sure where they were right now, but Rook was frowning at the scanner.

"I believe we are being followed," Rook informed Krecini.

"Inconceivable!" Krecini cried. "No one can track us through hyperspace!"

"Well according to the scanners, we are being followed by another craft," Rook replied. "So what do you want me to do about it?"

Krecini glanced at the asteroid field. "There! We shall hide in the Asteroids of Insanity!"

"But that is insane!" Rook replied. "We may crash into something."

"I didn't hire you to think, I hired you to pilot," Krecini growled.

Rook sighed and began to navigate into the asteroid field. 

"Find an asteroid, hide in it!" Krecini ordered.

Rook did as he was told, navigating half way into the asteroid field until he found one with deep enough craters he could guide the ship into one. 

"He's still on the scanner," Rook frowned. "As if the other ship has flown into the asteroids as well.

All eyes were on the scanner, and Jeron took the chance, escaping the cockpit and hurrying to the back controls even as he managed to wiggle his wrists free of their bonds. He slammed the button that opened the back of the ship had dashed out.

Somewhere behind him he could hear Krecini cursing and the sound of Krecini and K-2FZ following him to the entrance of the ship. 

As Jeron started to run into the cave, he heard a high pitched shrieking notice that made him freeze.

"Do you hear that, Prince?" Krecini cackled from the entrance of the ship. "Those are the Shrieking Mynocks!"

Jeron determinedly took several steps forward. The shrieking grew more intense.

"They always shriek louder when they're about to feast on human flesh!" Krecini laughed gleefully.

Jeron suddenly found himself surrounded by flapping wings and high pitched shrieks that hurt his ears. He ducked free of several creatures, reaching for his blaster but recalled that Krecini had taken it. He cursed as he ducked out of the way of another Shrieking Mynock. He was surrounded completely, and he could not duck fast enough, they would...

Just when he was certain they would swarm him, larged metallic arms swatted them away and dragged Jeron back onto the ship. The ships door screeched shut and Jeron found himself looking up at K-2FZ, who looked almost pityingly at him, for a droid. "You are safe now," the droid informed him.

"Think about that before trying to escape again!" Krecini told him smugly.

"Krecini, the other ship has found us!" Rook shouted from the cockpit as the asteroid began to shake a bit and Jeron realized another ship was landing nearby.

"What, but that!" Krecini sputtered. "Quickly, K-2FZ, to the cockpit, calculate our escape root out of here and to Scariff! They will never be able to calculate coordinates as quickly as you! Rook, jump to hyperspeed!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Krecini finds they cannot lose their tail and they land on Scarif, where Rook encounters the Pilot in Orange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Star Wars belongs to Disney/LucasLTD
> 
> More blatant following of the Princess Bride plot follows.

Krecini had believed once they were through hyperspace they would be impossible to track. K-2FZ had plugged in the perfect route so they would not be tracked, and then they would navigate through the shield gate that lead through the planetary deflector shield using the codes K-2FZ had procured, then drag Jeron half way down the beach to the perfect spot to kill him.

The plan was fool proof!

"It's nothing personal of course," Krecini told Jeron as the man sat in his chair and glared at Krecini over his rebound hands, this time bound with a pair of cuffs rather than just rope. "Those who hired me want a war between Scarif and the Empire, and if it is a war they want, a war they will get. I am nothing if not a professional."

Jeron made a brief noise of disbelief, wondering what he could trick Krecini into revealing, and if it might aid in his escape once they hit the shores of Scarif.

Jeron of course had no intention of remaining a prisoner. 

"So who hired you?" Jeron asked in a deliberate idle tone.

Krecini smirked. "Surely you do not think me foolish enough to reveal that!"

Baze paused as he heard Leia give a snort of disbelief and looked up once more over the book at the young girl.

"Krecini was already stupid enough to reveal his plan to Jeron," Leia said with crossed arms.

"Papa says we aren't supposed to say stupid," Lyra told her sister.

"Papa isn't here," Leia replied smugly. "And I bet Unca Baze won't tell. Will you Unca Baze?"

"That depends on your behavior," Baze replied dryly, and Chirrut smiled knowingly.

"Perhaps we should let your Uncle Baze continue the story?" Chirrut suggested.

Both girls nodded.

"As I was saying," Baze hmphed.

"I am not so foolish as to reveal the source of this job," Krecini continued. "Besides, we shall be upon Scarif shortly."

Indeed, as he spoke, the ship slipped from hyperspace, revealing the tropic world of Scarif in the windshield beyond them. Jeron could see something flickering around the planet and frowned slightly. He had heard Scarif defended itself with a planetary deflection shield, and there was a single gate to pass through, but as confident as Krecini was, he had evidently taken that into account. 

"K-2FZ, the code!" Krecini ordered as they approached the Shield Gate. Jeron watched it flicker as the tall droid turned to Krecini, and a voice crackled over the radio. 

"Identify yourself for entry through the Shield Gate!"

If droids could sigh, Jeron swore K-2FZ would as he said to Rook in a sardonic tone, "This is Cargo shuttle SW-0608 requesting a landing pad."

There was a pause and Jeron saw Rook Montoya tense, but Krecini seemed unconcerned, as Rook repeated the phase, "This is Cargo shuttle SW-0608 requesting a landing pad."

"Shuttle SW-0608, you are cleared for landing on Pad VAD-2," the Shield Gate captain replied.

Rook's shoulder slumped in relief as he guided the cargo shuttle through the Shield Gate. As they passed through planet atmo, he frowned and shot a glance at Krecini. "We're still being tailed."

"What?!" Krecini cried. "Inconceivable," even as he checked the ships sensors and indeed saw the blip of another ship in space beyond the Shield Gate. He shook his head and smirked. "Well, they can't possibly get through the Shield Gate! They won't have the right code."

Rook looked at him pointedly as the ship in question passed easily through the Shield Gate behind them.

"Inconceivable!" Krecini cried.

Rook shook his head as he guided their shuttle to the landing pad, carefully setting it down before looking at Krecini and said, "That word, I do not believe it means what you think it does."

Krecini shot out of his seat, sputtering. "K-2FZ, grab the prisoner. And you!" He whirled to Rook as he slammed a fist on the shuttle door release. "Get rid of him!"

Rook frowned as he followed Krecini, K-2FZ, and Jeron off the shuttle. "I shall have to duel him then," Rook declared.

"In case it has escaped your notice, we are in a bit of a hurry," Krecini swore.

"Yes but I cannot in good conscience ambush him. I must duel the pilot to ensure it is fair," Rook explained calmly.

Krecini sputtered then threw his hands up in the air. "Fine, as long as you kill him!" He glared at K-2FZ. "You get the prisoner, let's go!"

Jeron sighed as his hands were grabbed by the droid and he was lead off the sands of the beach and towards the jungles surrounding the shuttle pad.

Rook stretched, dropping easily into the engarde position as he released a cylinder from his belt and flicked the switch on it. The familiar hum of his lightsaber hissed through the air and he began to move back and forth through the familiar pattern of advance and retreat, parrying phantom blows with the green saber.

A small fighter came into view, moving towards the shuttle pad and Rook looked up, waiting patiently as it landed and the cockpit popped open.

"Ah good, I was wondering when you would get here, are you ready to die?" Rook inquired politely.

There was a snort of surprise from the pilot. "I would appreciate it if you let me get out of my ship before trying to kill me."

"Of course!" Rook agreed. "I want to ensure you are fully ready for our duel. It would be impolite otherwise."

"You seem like a decent sort of fellow," the pilot replied as they unhooked themselves from their fighter and slowly climbed out. Their boots hit the sand and they sighed, rolling their shoulders.

"Do you need a moment?" Rook inquired.

"Yes please," the pilot replied. "I need to remove this vest."

"Certainly," Rook said. He watched the pilot remove the white vest they wore over their orange flightsuit and unhooked a tube from their flight helmet. They let the visor slight up, revealing their green eyes, but not the rest of their face. He watched the Pilot unclip a cylinder similar to Rook's from their belt.

"You do not happen to have a double widow's peak, do you?" Rook inquired.

The Pilot paused and eyed Rook but pointed to their forehead, visible through the open visor, to show they had thick brown bangs. "Why?"

"Ahh, I am sorry," Rook sighed. "You see my mentor was killed by a man with two deep widows peaks."

"I am sorry for your loss," the Pilot replied sympathetically.

"Thank you. You're ready then?" Rook asked to be sure.

"I would rather not if we do not have to," the Pilot replied. "But you seem insistent."

"You seem to be a decent sort of person," Rook sighed. "I hate to kill you."

"You too seem a decent person," the Pilot replied. "I hate to die." With that, the pilot flicked on their own lightsaber, revealing their own blue saber.

With that both Rook and the Pilot in Orange fell into engarde and moved slowly towards each other.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rook and the Pilot face off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Star Wars belongs to Disney/LucasArtsLTD
> 
> I used a few fencing terms in the fight, though not as many as I was tempted to. Here's a handy glossary of fencing terms for that:  
> https://www.busybwebdesign.com/saskfencing/fencing_glossary.htm

Rook met the Pilot in Orange's gaze and nodded. "Begin."

The Pilot in Orange returned the gaze and nodded seriously before spinning the blade in their left hand, and jabbing right towards Rook's shoulder. Rook parried the saber easily, the sound of blade against blade humming in the air as Rook attempted to respond with a riposte, one that the Pilot easily counter-riposted.

Rook retreated a few steps, watching the Pilot advance confidently towards him, but with the caution of a seasoned fighter.

Rook retreated another step, and the Pilot made a quick advance, one step, two, and then took a cut towards Rook's left hip where they thought they saw an opening. Rook easily sidestepped the blow and attempted to use the change in their positions to strike at the Pilot's helmed head, but the pilot easily caught that cut with a hanging guard and they spun around to face each other once more.

"You seem quite skilled," the Pilot remarked politely as the two of them advanced and retreated towards each other, playing a game of cat and mouse, to see who would faulter first.

"I ought to be after twenty years," Rook responded as he parried a blow. 

"You've studied so long?" the Pilot asked, advancing two steps, then retreating four as they avoided another cut from Rook's lightsaber  
.  
“I have, since my mentor was killed by the man with the double widow's peak,” Rook acknowledged.

“Well you've certainly gained skill in that time,” the Pilot nodded. “I was curious about the timing. It has been twenty years since my father was killed, though I was never able to discover who his killer once.”

“I wish you luck in finding your father's killer,” Rook said as they continued their dance back and forth along the rocky terrain. They exchanged blows once, twice, and a third time, one or the other managing to sidestep the blow or parry it but the riposte failed when the riposte itself being counter-riposted.

“Thank you,” the Pilot nodded. They lunged suddenly towards Rook, but Rook saw a tell-tale giveaway a moment before they did and quickly retreated beyond the tip of their blade.

As they moved back and forth over the rock and sand, Rook studied the Pilot. “You are using Shan,” he remarked.

“I am,” the Pilot replied. “You do not seem surprised.”

“That is because I have also studied Shan, and know that Revan is the perfect foil against that defense,” Rook grinned.

An answering grin flickered over the Pilot's expression as their blades clashed once again.

“Are you going to continue to attempt to use Skywalker against me?” Rook asked.

“I thought it fitting considering the sandy terrain underfoot,” the Pilot said. 

“True, but then one may respond with Tano,” Rook considered, watching the pilot move easily up a rocky outcropping, and he followed with the same ease. 

“Yes, but then most have not studied Jinn,” the Pilot smirked.

The Pilot moved with grace and speed, retreating up a pile of scrap, and flipped over Rook, parrying Rook's attempted thrust through the air and landed on their feet.

Rook felt the sand shift beneath his boots and retreated a few steps, advanced, and retreated again as their lightsabers clashed several times. He appeared winded. “I must admit I think you may be better than I.”  
“I might be,” the Pilot sounded curious. “But you are smiling.”

“That is because you do not realize I am not left handed,” Rook laughed as he tossed the lightsaber from his left hand to his right. They danced back and forth a few more times as Rook regarded the Pilot's smile with vague suspicion. “You are hiding something.”

“I might be,” the Pilot said. “You see, I am not left handed either.”

Rook wasn't entirely surprised when the Pilot's blue saber was tossed from their left hand to their right.

As they moved through the terrain, both retreating and advancing over scrap and sand, Rook admired the Pilot's skill. As the pilot side stepped another thrust, Rook paused. “Who are you, please tell me, you are fantastic.”

“I do wish I could,” the Pilot replied. “But now is not the time, sadly.”

Rook shrugged a little sadly as he advanced towards the Pilot.

They were both skilled in saber combat, but when they crossed blades again, Rook did not expect the Pilot to force pull his green saber from his hand and fling it across the sand. Rook backed up, trying to roll back to recover the blade, but the Pilot was just a shade too fast.

He sighed. “Very well, please kill me quickly.”

The Pilot shook their head lightly. “I would sooner destroy a starship than you,” they replied. Then they unexpectedly smacked Rook, hard, against the back of his head.

The Pilot caught him before he could crumble completely to the ground with one hand, then turned off their saber and stowed it on their belt. “But sadly, I cannot have you following me. Under other circumstances I think we would be good friends. Perhaps another time.”

The Pilot in orange gently lay Rook Montoya on the ground, fetched his saber, and placed the hilt beside him. “Rest well, Rook Montoya,” the Pilot said before they quickly moved away, following the tracks of the large droid, Krecini, and Jeron. They still had a person to rescue.

Krecini could see a flash of orange in the distance on the beach as he, K-2FZ and Jeron moved deeper into the jungle. “Inconceivable!” he cried. He swore and glared at the droid. “Give him to me. You stay and deal with the Pilot in Orange, they must not be allowed to follow us!”

Jeron eyed Krecini as he was shifted to the other man's grasp, and eyed the manacles around his wrist, debating if this was an opportunity to escape. 

It might be, if it were just he and Krecini, once the large droid was gone, but he also now found himself curious about the Pilot who was following them, and why the Pilot was following them.  
K-2FZ whirred, and had he been human it would have been a sigh of long suffering. “How do you wish me to dispatch the Pilot.”

“Do it your way!” Krecini ordered, grasping Jeron by the manacles and pulling out a short wand, one that Jeron recognized as a stunning rod. Hmm, escape would prove a bit more perilous, perhaps he should wait and see what happened.

“My way?” the droid inquired, deciding to needle the human.

“Snap their neck with your hands!” Krecini sneered before dragging Jeron off.

K-2FZ watched Krecini and Jeron vanish into the greenery and then set his large metalic feet on the ground, noting the soil was slightly firmer here than the sand had been on the beach.

“I think the odds are not in the Pilot's favor,” K-2FZ considered. “I wish to make things more fair.”

As the Pilot in Orange came charging through the trees, K-2FZ tossed a piece of scrap at them.

The Pilot dodged the scrap by rolling out of the way.

“Ah good, I have your attention,” K-2FZ said. “I thought it was fairer to give you a warning.”

The Pilot eyed him vague surprise in their eyes.

This, K-2FZ calculated, would be an interesting fight.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pilot in Orange faces off against K-2FZ and High Prince Skyguy is an annoying know-it-all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Star Wars belongs to Disney/LucasArtsLTD
> 
> Note: Hey All, I'm still Nyte, I just made a change to my user name! Find me now on Tumblr under @SerStolas

“Unca Baze, why would K-2FZ give the Pilot in Orange a warning?” Leia interrupted. 

Baze glanced up from the book, his brows creasing as he noticed that at some point during the story, Lyra had managed to slip across the room to her sister's bed and was now curled up beside Leia with her favorite Merida doll held tightly in her arms. Leia for her part didn't seem the lease bit disturbed about her twin invading her space, but then it wasn't the first time Baze had seen them do this. Whenever they had sleepovers with Unca Baze and Unca Chirrut, Leia and Lyra inevitably ended up tangled in a "nest" of blankets and pillows on the living room floor.

"Because unlike Krecini, K-2FZ has a sense of fairness, much like Rook Montoya does," Baze informed the twins. 

"Hmm, perhaps it is because K-2FZ prefers more of a challenge," Chirrut added from his place on the floor. "It is too easy to bash someone with a piece of scrap metal."

"I wanna know who wins," Lyra told her sister pointedly and Leia stuck her tongue out at her twin, but Baze was allowed to continue after a few moments of silence from the twins and expectant looks.

"The Pilot in Orange considered K-2FZ with mild surprise," Baze intoned.

"Why warn me?" the Pilot asked as they regarded K-2FZ. They had paused where they stood, debating what this strange, tall droid with glowing eyes might want. This was the second time they had been given some sort of warning, which made them rather wonder about Jeron's kidnappers, and if everyone was really in it because they had to.

But then the Pilot's life had been one of many twists and turns over the past few years, so this shouldn't really surprise them either.

"Because it would not be sporting for me to simply crush you," K-2FZ informed the Pilot in a matter-of-fact tone. "And while Krecini may be willing to do anything to attain his goals, I am not programed in such a manner."

The Pilot felt intrigued but remained cautious. "How would you suggest we resolve this then? For I am guessing you do not mean to simply let me pass."

K-2FZ tilted his head up and then down, taking stock of the human before him. "This is true. I would suggest then a contest of hand-to-hand, as barbaric as it may seem, it seems fairer than me simply crushing you."

"You mean I put down my lightsaber, you put down the scrap metal, and we go at each other like civilized beings?" the Pilot inquired.

"Precisely," K-2FZ replied.

It seemed, the Pilot thought, the most reasonable way to get beyond the giant droid. They set their lightsaber hilt down carefully against a piece of scrap to keep it from moving and K-2 responded by dropping the piece of scrap he held.

The two of them circled each other for a few moments and K-2 asked curiously, "Why do you remain in your helmet? We are on the ground and no longer in space. By my calculations it seems a pointless action."

"Oh it's simply because I find it so fashionable," the Pilot responded with good humor. "I am sure many will be wearing helmets next political season."

"Meatbags are very strange," K-2 acknowledged as he lunged forward and managed to catch the Pilot in his grasp.

The Pilot in Orange surprised him and managed to slip his grasp and onto his back until they had their legs wrapped around the droid's waist and clung to his back. K-2 responded by bringing his arms back in an attempt to cut off the Pilot's air. It seemed him to the be kindest thing to do, as if he only did it long enough for the Pilot to lose consciousness, then he could leave the unconscious pilot here to awaken later and be on his way, once Krecini was far away.

For their part, the Pilot certainly didn't want to destroy such a fair seeming droid, but they simply needed to get past, so they were looking for a panel that would allow them to temporarily short-circuit the droid. They knew it could be done to shut the droid down only temporarily, and that the droid's circuits would refire and the droid would regain his 'consciousness' sometime after the Pilot had a chance to get away.

"We seem to be at an impasse," K-2 said as he found the human on his back seemed to have greater constitution than he expected. "Perhaps I have miscalculated."

"I am sorry that you may have, but I must get by," the Pilot replied, beginning to see black dots before their eyes. Finally they found the right switch.

K-2FZ's form went still, his hands dropping as he was temporarily deactivated.

The Pilot toppled off his back, wheezing for a moment as they caught their breath then looked up. "Oh good, you are still standing." They looked around and then carefully dragged K-2FZ back into a protective alcove of scrap where he would hopefully be safe until he reactivated. "I am truly sorry I must leave you this way, you might have been useful, but I must recover Jeron," the Pilot informed the inert droid.

The Pilot recovered their lightsaber, clipped it on their belt, and hurried on their way.

~~

Some ways away on the beach, an imposing black shuttle landed and several guards dressed in white plasteel armor filed out, followed by the black clad form of High Prince Skyguy.

From this side, one could see High Prince Skyguy was attractive in his own fashion, though his eyes glowed an eerie and unnatural yellow. He was dressed in the finest black cloth, and followed by an imposing older gentleman with a serious expression, and a double widows peak of graying hair.

High Prince Skyguy moved along the sand, pausing when the group came across a series of footprints. "Just as we suspected, Scariff troops," he informed the man with the double widows peak, who nodded impassively.

"And what do you surmise from this scene?" the man with the double widows peak inquired in an overly interested tone.

"The opponents were quite evenly matched," High Prince Skyguy declared. "Though, Count Tarkin, they certainly are no match for me."

"Of course not, Highness," Tarkin replied. "What else do your sharp eyes see, Highness?"

The tone was not sincere, but High Prince Skyguy didn't seem to catch that.

"They moved across the sands, exchanging strikes, and then switched hands. Ah, here, one ran away," he glanced at a set of footprints that went further down the beach. "And the other went, that way," he pointed further into the jungle. "Come, we must recover my heir! There shall be much suffering to Scarif if harm has come to my heir!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeron is getting tired of dealing with Krecini, The Pilot In Orange confronts the last kidnapper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Star Wars belongs to Disney/LucasArtsLTD
> 
> Many Thanks to the SWWA for the inspiration for this chapter.
> 
> Find me now on Tumblr under @SerStolas

This dashing across sand, through the jungle, and towards Force knew what was beginning to wear on Jeron's nerves.

As Krecini dragged him along the jungle path, Jeron began debating how many ways he might be able to trip Krecini up and escape. Durin their landing Jeron was fairly certain he'd seen a spaceport on the other side of the jungle. If he could get away from Krecini and sneak there, he might be able to get himself off this forsaken planet.

His eyes were particularly focused on the cuffs around his wrists, if he could just..

"None of that now!" Krecini snarled, pausing in his steps and whirling towards Jeron. He pulled an odd metatlic band out of his pocket and slapped it over Jeron's face.

Jeron cursed, recognizing an electronic blinder as it touched his skin. He flinched away from it a moment too late.

Alright, so he was blind now, but surely he could still get these stupid cuffs off if he could just distract Krecini long enough and then hide. He was debating this when he felt Krecini press the prod against his back again, a threat to paralyze him once more. Cursing silently, Jeron let Krecini pull him along, forcing him to march further into the foliage.

After several minutes he became aware of Krecini cursing, though. Evidently their tail was still on them.

Good, maybe the person would turn out to be an ally, unwitting or not. It was certainly worth a try. So he let Krecini continue to prod him along, for now, until the other man stopped and shoved Jeron into a sitting position on what felt like old cargo crates. Jeron listened very carefully, and finally heard the sound of footsteps in the distance.

Yes, they were still being tailed. Jeron sat, listening carefully as the stranger approached.

He felt Krecini shift the prod to his neck and muttered under his breath.

"Take another step and he dies," Krecini smirked.

Jeron heard the footsteps pause, and a voice, a voice that should be familiar but he could not quite place it.

"Let him go," the Pilot in Orange said firmly.

"Nay, I will not," Krecini replied. "And you dare not come closer."

"So we are at an impasse," the Pilot in Orange replied. "So let us talk."

Krecini's voice held warning. "No, I shall not take you on directly. You are agile and studied, or you would not have bested my Pilot, and you must be strong or else you would not have bested my droid."

"What about a contest of wits?" the Pilot in Orange suggested in a reasonable tone.

"Mm, I do not think you can beat me in such," Krecini crowed. "But if you wish I suppose I have time now to indulge you in this fantasy. I shall beat you, regardless."

"And I can just as easily kill you, without my lightsaber or my hands," the Pilot in Orange replied.

"I think not, but sit, and let us begin," Krecini replied in a sly tone. He had no doubt that reinforcements were on their way. He would merely keep this silly pilot busy until they arrived, and then the Pilot would be dealt with, he thought as he padded a communicator at his hip, pressing a single red button.

"Tell me," the Pilot in Orange asked, "What do you think is your greatest asset?"

"My fine, sharp mind, and my fashion sense, of course!" Krecini replied, his chest puffed out, displaying his fine, strong shoulders beneath his smart white dress uniform. "I put this entire plan together myself. And I can guess much about you merely from looking at you!"

"Oh, and what can you guess?" the Pilot in Orange asked in a calm tone.

"From that garish orange flightsuit of yours, I know you must be with the Rebellion," Krecini replied. "Thus, you are a traitor to the Empire and a Criminal!"

"That all depends on your perspective," the Pilot mused. "I really haven't revealed anything to you, you merely make assumptions. And I rather think that my flight suit is much more serviceable than your uniform."

"You have revealed everything about yourself!" Krecini smirked.

Jeron had taken advantage of the fact that Krecini was distracted to carefully, slowly worm his hands out of the cuffs. He was familiar with the model, and knew if you turned your hands just this way and that in the right pattern, it would trigger the release on the cuffs. Krecini was smirking and taunting the stranger in Orange as Jeron freed his hands from the contraption.

"White really isn't your color," the Pilot replied. "I rather think I will win this one, form over fashion, you know."

Krecini stood, fury in his tone. "You plebeian! You have made one of the most classic blunders. The first is th never ignore a probe sent to scan a planet, but the second, less slightly known, is to never underestimate an Imperial when Fashion is on the line!"

Jeron used this as another distraction, shifting even as he removed the blindfold to sweep Krecini's legs out from under him.

"No, Krecini, you're just an idiot," the Pilot replied dryly. As Jeron got the blindfold off, he saw Krecini's body sail up into the air and the man looked very much like he was choking. 

Then Krecini's body dropped to the ground.

Jeron tilted his head, regarding the body for a long moment, then eyed the pilot suspiciously. "Well, I am glad you have dealt with him, but what are you doing out here?"

"Do you know who I am?" the Pilot asked, amused.

"Your tactics reveal much," Jeron replied. "You are the Dread Smuggler Kenobi. Though I must still ask what interest you have in me."

"I head a whisper through the Force that you'd been named High Prince Skyguy's heir and knew you hated him, so I thought I might come and relieve you from that position, see if you wanted to join the Rebellion," the Pilot in Orange, now revealed to be the Dread Smuggler Kenobi, asked.

"You're a smuggler, and you're with the Rebellion, really?" Jeron asked, surprised. "I have worked with the Rebellion myself for many years."

"All the more reason for you to come to the spaceport with me and go and join them proper like," the Dread Smuggler Kenobi replied. "Shall we?"

The Dread Smuggler was in Rebellion Orange, with their symbol on their helmet. It also offered Jeron a potential ally in getting off the planet, he thought.

"I think," Jeron began, then cursed when he heard something in the distance. "Those sounded like Stormtrooper shots."

"Might have been," the Dread Smuggler replied. "We'd best get out of here and get a ship, hide someplace for a little bit."

Jeron nodded and together the two of them took off through the jungle. The Dread Smuggler seemed to have a good idea of where they were going, and Jeron was relieved when they reached a space port. They hid behind a generator as they scanned the small base.

"There!" Jeron hissed softly. "That transport."

"Better than two in an X-Wing," the Dread Smuggler agreed. 

Jeron had thought to grab Krecini's baton before they'd left, and the Dread Smuggler turned on their lightsaber.

Together, the two made quick work of two patrolling guards and slipped into the transport.

"I can get us out of here with fake codes," the Smugger told Jeron. "But I will need to concentrate on transmitting them. You fly."

"Best place to hide out?" Jeron asked, quickly sliding into the pilot seat and reading the ship for takeoff.

"Dagobah," the Dread Smuggler replied. "Skyguy hates that planet."

Jeron nodded and quickly brought the ship to rights, while the radio crackled.

"Shuttle V4D3R, where are you going?" demanded the voice.

"Clearance code Tython," The Smuggler replied into the radio.

"Oh very well, clearance granted," the voice muttered.

Jeron didn't really release his breath until they had cleared the planet gate and were slipping into hyperspace. Then he turned to the Dread SMuggler in the co-pilot seat. "Might I know the face of my rescuer?" he asked.

The Dread Smugger Kenobi grinned at him, and then removed their helm.

And Stardust smiled back at him. Leaning across the distance, she kissed him and whispered against his lips. "Welcome Home."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeron and Stardust crashland on Dagobah. While relieved to be reunited, their day seems to be going from bad to worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Star Wars or the Princess Bride.
> 
> Thank you to those who have continued on this crack fic journey with me.

They should have expected this, Stardust supposed. They were in a stolen shuttle from Scarif, and one that probably hadn't received thorough maintenance in some time. They just needed to get to the landing site on Dagobah where her ship the Revenge awaited them. It really was a good transport, with a small enough crew that they didn't pick up too much attention when they dodged into port at Nar Shaddaa or some other seedy places around the galaxy.

The first hint of trouble was went the engine started failing as they were entering atmo.

"Stardust, I think we have a problem," Jeron informed her in the calmest voice that he could. He was thankful to be reunited with his beloved, though he had a number of questions as to why she wasn't dead when he'd spent the past five years believing she was, and what she planned to do now.

Stardust regarded the array of blinking lights in the cockpit and sighed. "I do believe you are correct, Jeron-love," she replied. "I think we will need to brace for impact."

Jeron groaned softly. "I was afraid you were going to say that.

Bailing out really wasn't an option. Their best bet was to control the descent as much as possible, which resulted in a flurry of activity from both of them, one trying to steer the ship away from oncoming cliffs, and the other running through every re-route they could to get enough power to the engines to allow the ship to be steered elsewhere.

In the end, they ended up half crashing, half landing, into the swamp that was Dagobah.

As Jeron and Stardust helped each other stagger out of the ship, they found themselves staring at the uninviting gray-brown view of a swamp. 

Stardust checked her wrist unit and cursed. "We are clicks away from the landing site. We're going to have to slog our way through the swamp to get there." She sighed and unclipped the lightsaber from her belt and pulled the blaster off her other hip, handing it to Jeron. "No time like the present I suppose."

"Did you happen to pick any reason other than the fact that Skyguy hates this planet to stow your ship here?" Jeron inquired as they began to move cautiously away from the crashed shuttle.

Stardust shrugged as she kept her eyes on the path before them. "It's out of the way, sparsely populated, no Imperial patrols, seemed like a relatively safe hiding spot. If you ignore the void-sand and the flame gouts, it really isn't that bad."

Jeron gave her a somewhat disbelieving look, but he continued to move carefully through the swamp with her. It was muggy, his wrist ached from the cuffs he'd worn earlier and he was sore from the crash, but she probably wasn't feeling much better. They needed to get to her ship so that they could get off planet.

"How did you survive, anyway?" Jeron asked as they walked, glancing towards her, his brown eyes drinking in the sight of his beloved for the first extended period of time in five years. Force how he had missed her. "We were told everyone on your ship was killed."

"We were boarded by Imperials," Stardust replied, reaching out to take his hand absently with her own as they walked. "There was a Rebel spy on our ship, so they claimed, and they threatened to kill one person for every minute that the Rebel didn't step forward. And of course they started blasting before the first minute." Her green eyes darkened a moment when she looked at him. "That's when the Dread Smuggler Kenobi, the one before me, attacked. She had her crew routed the Imperials and set the civilians free. There was a spy on the ship, a Kallus by name. Turns out the Dread Smuggler Kenobi worked for the Rebellion, and she was there to rescue Kallus. The Imperials had evidently already listed everyone on board as dead before they even boarded...it was too dangerous for me to go home, so I went with Kallus and Kenobi."

Jeron furrowed his brows. "I've been working with the Rebellion for the past five years...how is it no one managed to tell me you were alive?"

"Probably because it wasn't but six months after I joined that I wasn't using my name," she replied. She sighed. "I truly wish I could have told you, Jeron, but by the time I found out what was going on, you'd already attracted Skyguy's attention, and it would have jeopardized both of us."

Jeron sighed. He knew how much he'd given up for the Rebellion, and how much Stardust evidently had as well. He squeezed her hand. "I'll forgive you this time, but please never do that again." He frowned. "How is it you are now the Dread Smuggler Kenobi, when you say she helped save you?"

"The original Dread Smuggler Kenobi retired years ago to Tatooine of all places," Stardust explained. "The Dread Smuggler Stardust isn't going to inspire fear or respect, but Dread Smuggler Kenobi does. The last Dread Smuggler Kenobi before me was really named Hera Syndulla. She took on another ship and mission six months after I joined the Rebellion, and passed the name and ship on to me. I believe she flys the Ghost now?" She smiled. "But now that you and I are reunited, we'll make it to my ship and go back to the Rebellion. They will be glad you are alive. It is too dangeorus now for you to go back to your old life though."

Jeron shrugged. "I'll find another position with them. The Rebellion is always understaffed and funded, there's always something to do."

"I can think of many places they can use your talents," Stardust nodded. "I think I will find someone else to pass the name and ship of the Dread Smuggler Kenobi to, and work with you. Our talents together can be formidable to the Rebellion."

"Where did you learn to use a lightsaber anyway?" Jeron inquired.

"I wasn't trained by a Jedi, but by a Guardian," she told him. "My Master never did tell me his name. I didn't believe he would be a good master at first, he was blind, but," she smiled ruefully, "he taught me otherwise."

At this point they both heard a suspect puffing noise and Stardust pulled Jeron out of the way before a gout of flame erupted form the swamp. 

"Well, we found the flame gouts," she told him cheerfully. Jeron lifted a brow at her. "We just need to avoid the void sand and we should be okay."

Of course, minutes later, Jeron felt the ground soften beneath him, not spongy as the swamp was, but more giving way, and managed to jump back before he was swallowed by void sand.

The two of them stood there for a few minutes, regarding the ordinary looking patch of swamp water and sighed. "Well, at least we know what that looks like now," Jeron said. He frowned faintly. "What about the WROUS?"

"Womp Rats of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist," Stardust frowned.

Jeron rolled his eyes at her when they both heard a sharp squealing sound. "You just had to say that, love, didn't you?"

Stardust and Jeron moved back to back, and he heard the humming sound of her lightsaber as she ignited it. They circled, keeping their backs pressed against one another as they were encircled by a pack of Womp rats of unusual size. The large ugly creatures clicked their teeth and Stardust and Jeron, lunging and then backing off. Jeron began to time their movements, taking shots at two of them. He struck one firmly in the chest, and the other he clipped on the ear, enough to send it running.

He was unsurprising to smell scorched flesh when he turned, the sound of Stardust's lightsaber sliding through womp rat a little sickening as she dispatched her own two. They heard further scurrying in the brush and exchanged a glance.

"Rush to the ship?" Stardust asked.

"Let's go," Jeron replied.

Hand in hand, they took off in a run through the swamp.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things continue to go downhill for our intrepid heroes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Star Wars or Princess Bride.
> 
> So here's where things get a bit different from the Princess Bride plot given the characters involved.

The sounds of insects, dripping water, their own breathing, and their bodies pushing through the brush filled their ears as they ran through the Swamp. They knew now what to listen for, to be able to avoid the plume of flames by the popping noises that accompanied them, and what the sand looked like. Neither were entirely sure how fast WROUS were, but they were certainly going to try and outrun them. They just had to make it to Stardust's ship, and then they could slip off planet and rejoin the Rebellion. 

Jeron felt some relief at that thought. He'd felt close to discovery a number of times during his work posing as High Prince Skyguy's heir. 

Even better, he was with Stardust again, and she was working with the Rebellion. 

They both knew it had only been a few minutes, though it seemed like hours as they ran through the swamp, Stardust leading the way since she knew where she'd put her ship down. She had stowed her ship in a field that provided ample plant material to cover the ship from discovery, or so she'd thought.

Stardust was brought up short not far from the swampy field, her eyes narrowing as she saw lights in the distance, indicating that they weren't alone on this planet. She and Jeron exchanged a glance before they both dove for cover beneath foliage as a probe droid whizzed by. Stardust cursed softly under her breath. "Imperials. Depending on how many there are, it'll make it tough to reach the ship."

"Yeah, but that ship is our only way off planet now, unless we manage to steal one of their shuttles," Jeron replied grimly.

They exchanged another glance before moving with each other, slowly sneaking through the underbrush towards the field. They hadn't yet seen the Stormtroopers, but they knew they were there, somewhere in the distance. 

Jeron noticed how calm and intent Stardust stayed as they crept through the plant life. Stardust had always been the spitfite of the two of them, ready to take on injustice and any number of other things that they faced under the tyranny of the Empire. Sometime in the past five years, that inner fire had clearly been honed and trained into an even more deadly force than before. Knowing she had taken on the visage of the Dread Smuggler Kenobi, while he had been playing double agent and pretending to be a good little heir at Skyguy's beck and call made him wonder how many lies the two of them had been forced to tell over the past several years.

It wasn't a pleasant thought.

Still, they were together again. More than that, they were working together, falling into step beside one another as if they'd never separated. It gave him hope as he had not had in years. 

The Dread Smuggler Kenobi's ship was off on the far side of the field, with Imperial landing craft interspersed between them and the ship itself. The telltale white plastoid armored figures swept through the field, most of their attention concentrated for the moment on the opposite side of the field. Without needing to speak, they moved silently to the edge of the brush, and then began to slip from one ship to another, assessing the situation. Stardust's preference was to get her own ship, she and prior Dread Smugglers had spent years making adjustments to it, and additional time putting various forms of security on those alterations to keep unwanted people from getting too much information from the ship. At the same time, she'd come for Jeron, and the loss of a ship compared to Jeron being safe and with the Rebellion again...well, she was willing to make that sacrifice. 

Jeron's lips thinned into a line, debating what sort of distraction they could create that would allow them to escape to the ship. Another look exchanged, and he saw Stardust pulling something off her belt and tossing it towards her own ship towards some crates that had been unloaded.

The resulting explosion rocked the ground around them, but he trusted her, and took off after her, dashing towards one of the Imperial transports that didn't appear to have a pilot in the cockpit. They made it through the open cargo hatch and scrambled towards the cockpit.

Ice spread through Jeron at what greeted them in the cockpit.

Later, when Jeron had time to reflect, he could not be surprised by the figure in black cloth, leather, and plastoid before them. High Prince Skyguy was stronger in the Force than almost any known living person, other than the Emperor, and the fact that he'd managed to conceal his presence from Stardust said much.

"Dread Smuggler Kenobi," Skyguy's robotic voice hissed forth from his helm. "A lucky find indeed. And I see you have rescued my Heir from his kidnappers. Very good. If you surrender now, I shall be inclined to show you mercy."

Both Stardust and Jeron could feel the press of the Death Troopers behind them, could see the black armor from their peripheral vision. They could feel the press of blasters against their back. Woodenly, Stardust raised her arms in surrender. She trusted modifications to her ship and that the Imperials wouldn't be able to crack them. She hoped that she would not crack under Imperial torture, because no matter what 'mercy' Skyguy promised, she did not trust him, and neither did Jeron.

"I'll come back for you," Jeron hissed softly to her, before they were seperated.

"I know," Stardust responded before she was roughly marched off the transport.

"My Heir," Skyguy's voice hissed at Jeron, and Jeron stared back. Skyguy chuckled darkly. "It would almost seem as if you were unhappy to see me, Jeron. Could the Dread Smuggler Kenobi have tried to lure you to the side of the Rebels? But you wouldn't be that foolish, would you?"

Jeron kept his face carefully schooled, knowing that Skyguy would have him doubly watched now, and breaking Stardust out was going to be difficult if not ny impossible.

That didn't mean he wouldn't try.

"Of course not, Highness," Jeron lied. The lie tasted sour on his tongue, but he pitched his voice convincingly. He'd spent the past five years playing this role. He would continue to play it, for now, as long as it took to get Stardust free. "The Dread Smuggler did, though, save me from the grasp of my kidnappers, however. I trust you will be true to your word regarding mercy?"

"Of course," Skyguy replied, and Jeron already knew it was a lie, but he kept his features carefully controlled, nodding as if he believed Skyguy. The High Prince gestured then. "To prevent further kidnapping, I will have you escorted to safety, of course, and back to Coruscant."

Jeron bowed carefully, his mind going over what sort of contingencies he had available on Coruscant, and what favors he could pull in to find Stardust and break her out. He knew his Stardust, and he knew that she would exploit any weaknesses she could find to get out. If he could have his people on the look out for those weaknesses to help her, then all the better.

He also knew that Skyguy was too conceited and believed too much in his own abilities to take Stardust anywhere but Coruscant. That would give Jeron some advantage, knowing what planet she was on. It would be more difficult under heavy guard, but Jeron was confident he could find a way.

He would bring her home, Force Willing.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stardust and Jeron face some of their greatest challenges yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Star Wars or Rogue One.
> 
> Find me on tumblr @serstolas

The lights of her interrogation room flickered on again and Stardust shut her eyes momentarily against the bright light, centering herself her Master had taught her. Since being taken captive by High Prince Skyguy's forces, they'd attempted to interrogate her more than once using their droids.

It hurt, there was no denying that. They tormented and tortured her, but she would not, could not break. She would not betray Jeron's secrets, nor would she betray the Rebellion's secrets. She had been trained not to break.

She merely hoped to the Force that Jeron was still safe. She could feel him, somewhere out there, still alive, through the Force, but she could not sense his general state other than the fact that he was alive.

As the door of her interrogation room slid open, she found herself regarding a figure in gray through tired eyes.

"Ahh, hello Dread Smuggler Kenobi," the man said an urbane tone. "My men tell me that you have not broken to droids. You seem to be far stronger willed than some I have dealt with."

The man circled the interrogation able that Stardust was strapped to. "Now, Kenobi, everyone has a weakness. Everyone has a breaking point. I must merely discover what yours is." He chuckled softly.

Stardust opened her eyes to consider him.

The first thing she noticed was the double widow's peak of gray hair. Her mind flickered back to the lightsaber fight with one Rook Montoya. She remembered his skill and sincerity, and most of all the fact that he had stated his mentor had been killed by a man with a double widow's peak.

"Well, I suppose at least you do not lie about your intent," Stardust replied conversationally. "Unlike your Prince who swore I would not be harmed. You and I are a different sort, are we not? We are of action, not lies and pretty words."

Count Tarkin smiled thinly. "You are correct. I do not waste my time lying over someone's safety when I have every intention of killing them. I can say, truthfully, though, that if you give up information, then I can at least promise that your death shall be a quick one."

"At least you are truthful," Stardust noted. "Unfortunately I am disinclined to give up any information on the Rebellion."

"Ah, and what of Prince Jeron? Will you give up information on his activities?" Count Tarkin pressed, his lips turned into a smile that made Stardust want to gag.

"There is nothing to tell," Stardust replied, keeping her eyes steadily on Tarkin. Her eyes flickered to his double widow's peak again. "You know, there is a man looking to kill you. You killed his mentor."

Count Tarkin merely snorted. "Perhaps another day in the dark will change your mind. And I've no time for little children who try and come hunting me."

With that, he left Stardust in the dark again. She sighed and closed her eyes once more, centering herself, and trying not to think about what sorts of things other than the torture he wanted to devise to make her break. It did not matter though, she would never give up her secrets to the likes of him.

~~

Jeron knew very well that High Prince Skyguy was lying when he said that Stardust would be safe.

The High Prince would lie to his own mother if it suited him, Jeron thought. Or at least, he might not view it as a lie, he would twist the truth until it suited him, if nothing else.

And now Jeron found himself under far more scrutiny and watch than before. He hadn't been able to return to his shop. Instead he'd been brought to the Imperial palace, under the guise of it being for his own protection, of course. High Prince Skyguy was planning something, some sort of public announcement he wanted Jeron to play a part in, but he was refusing to tell Jeron what it was.

Jeron turned to his guards. "I am going to go and read on the recent treaties," he informed them, and moved towards his assigned sitting room. He had access to a datapad there, one he wasn't supposed to take out of the room (again under the guise of his own safety. What if it was hacked?!). Supposedly the thing was so encrypted he could only access what Skyguy would allow, which at this time were in effect Imperial brainwashing documents.

Jeron was fairly certain, though, that he could hack the data pad without being noticed, and try and find where Stardust was being imprisoned. He'd spend half an hour looked at Imperial documents, though, and lure his guards into a false sense of security before he hacked anything.

He permitted himself the tiniest of smiles, and settled in to work.

~~

High Prince Skyguy considered the map of the galaxy before him as Count Tarkin reported in the most recent interrogation of Kenobi. They knew she had another name, but she hadn't spoken it yet, and amazingly their searching hadn't revealed it yet, only a list of aliases.

Skyguy was certain that Jeron knew, but the young man was being dodgy in all of his answers. Publicly he was appearing as a perfect heir again, doing exactly what he was 'supposed' to do. Skyguy suspected he was planning something, though, he had to be. Clearly running into Kenobi, Jeron had not intended to come back to the Empire.

"You will get information out of her," Skyguy ordered. 

"We will begin another round of interrogation this evening," Tarkin replied conversationally. "Would you like to come watch? I am not using the droids this time, as they seem ineffective. I will be playing mind games with her. You always seem to enjoy those."

Skyguy heaved a dramatic sigh through his black helm. "I have Empire Day to celebrate, the coronation of my heir as Prince of Coruscant, his assassination to plan, and the Rebellion to frame for it. As much as I love mind games, I really do not have time to watch you work, as soothing as it might be."

"Ah yes, the weight of the Empire on your shoulders," Tarkin replied soothingly, even if he really didn't give a kriff about Skyguy and all his 'worries.' Tarkin still believed he could rule far better, but he was never stupid enough to say that aloud.

"You know," Skyguy said in some amusement, evidently aware of, or ignoring, Tarkin's unspoken mood, "When I hired Krencini to kidnap Jeron and make it look as if some rebel cell on Scariff were responsible, I thought it the height of genius. But it will be so much more satisfying to force choke him to death after the coronation."

"Whatever pleases you, High Prince," Tarkin replied dryly. "Ah, the Deathtroopers are here."

"Hmm?" Skyguy replied as he looked at one of the Deathtroopers who had come in. He eyed the trooper. "Have all possible Rebellion sympathizers rounded up in the lower levels of the city and have them locked away. There is an uprising planned during the coronation, and I shall not have my heir jeopardized."

"But we do not have a large enough force to sweep all levels," the trooper replied. "We will need more forces."

"Then have them shipped in. Droids maybe," Skyguy said. "Yes, have a new shipment of droids brought in."

The Deathtrooper saluted. "On your orders, Highness," then retreated quickly.

"Is there anything else you need from me?" Tarkin inquired."

Skyguy waved his hand. "Go, Tarkin, I can tell you are eager to interrogate her. Bring me back something useful."

"Of course," Tarkin replied before he inclined his head, and turned, vanishing back the way they had come.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our intrepid Rook Montoya and K-2FZ reappear and take matters into their own hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Rogue One, Star Wars, or the Princess Bride

"They're going to be okay, right?" Leia demanded, glaring up at her uncle.

Baze paused and looked over the book at his niece, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, Stardust and Jeron will be okay in the end, right? This story has a happy ending?" Lyra put in.

Chirrut chuckled softly as he shifted against where he rested his head on Baze's thigh. "You must be patient, girls. Let Uncle Baze finish reading the story. It will be worth it in the end."

Lyra and Leia eyed their uncles suspiciously for a few moments before they subsided, curling next to each other in bed, both holding favorite stuffed animals tightly.

Baze smiled faintly at the girls' enthusiasm before he continued.

~~

Rook Montoya held his head in his hands as he sat on a bench in the common area of level 32 of the city of Coruscant. Without Krecini, Rook wasn't quite sure where to go. He was frustrated, because the Krecini job was supposed to be a chance to do things right, but once on the job it had clearly unraveled into a kidnapping and injustice.

He needed a chance to make things right, but he wasn't quite sure where to begin.

So he had gone back to the beginning.

Now, though things seemed to be in chaos in the lower levels. He'd seen a number of people rounded up by Imperial droids lately on accusations that they were 'rebel sympathizers.' He rather thought that it was mostly just a bunch of innocent people caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time. More and more he was beginning to see, particularly now that he knew that Krecini's plan had been to start a war on the Empire's behalf, that the Empire was anything but just and good.

Rook might be afraid of consequences, but he found he could no longer stay silent. He had to find some way to act.

He frowned as he glanced up, seeing two Imperial droids marching towards him and realized they were here probably to apprehend him. Most of this level had already been cleared out, except for those wearing clear Empire symbols.

Step one, escape the droids. Step two, find someone who could help him. Step three, try and actually find Rebels, Rook decided in rapid succession.

As he started to reach for his blaster, a familiar black droid hand enclosed his wrist and a sarcastic droid voice intoned. "Do not bother wiht this one, I will take care of him."

Rook found himself hauled into a nearby alley, and blinked as he looked up at K-2FZ. He heaved a sigh of relief as the droid helped him stand straight. "K-2FZ, you're back." He frowned. "What are you doing here thought?"

"At the moment, keeping you from getting arrested," K-2FZ replied in a tone of long suffering. "I have hacked several Imperial databases since my arrival on this dreadful planet. I believe I have located where the Pilot in Orange, better known as Dread Smuggler Kenobi, is being held. I do not believe that the Imperials mean her well."

The Pilot in Orange. "That's it!" Rook said excitedly. "I want to find Rebels, and the Dread Smuggler is a Rebel, so she can help. We must rescue her K-2!"

"I thought you might want to," K-2FZ replied. "And as she bested Krecini, it seems to me that she may be a better meatbag to find work with than Krecini ever was." K-2FZ regarded Rook skeptically. "However, first we must steal you an Imperial officer's uniform so that you may blend in."

Rook let the droid lead him away, the two of them using the ruse that Rook was K-2FZ's prisoner more than once until they could get out of the lower levels.

In some of the higher levels of the city, they were able to find a shady cantina that was occasionally frequented by Imperial officers. Rook found it almost child's play to get one of them who was about Rook's size drunk, then lead them from the cantina to a back alley where K-2FZ knocked the officer out with a single knock to the skull. They stripped him and left in in the alley, stealing his uniform, identification, and security codes.

K-2FZ's hacking skills came in handy in finding a little used apartment where Rook could dress himself in the uniform and make himself presentable. 

They planned their infiltration of the small Imperial prison center where the Dread Smuggler was being held for a late night shift change, when people were more likely to make mistakes that would benefit them. Rook was a tad nervous, but he knew this was necessary if he was going to find the Rebels. They wouldn't take him on his own word, at least he thought they wouldn't.

With K-2FZ's skills at breaking into Imperial installations, it proved far easier than Rook expected to get in. Rook straightened himself, and with the former Imperial droid at his side, they made their way through the levels.

"I believe the Pilot in Orange is on level 5," K-2FZ informed Rook after dialing into a terminal within the prison. "Though the second is not noted. Perhaps you may use the Force?"

The droid wasn't being serious, but Rook took him seriously, and closed his eyes, reaching out with his senses. He remembered the Force signature of the Dread Smuggler. His eyes snapped open after a long moment and he smiled faintly. "I believe I know where she is."

Using the codes they had stolen, they made their way to level 5 and then to the west sector. Rook glanced around nervously to ensure no one was coming around before he inserted the stolen officer's badge into the door slot.

The interrogation room door slid open, revealing a small, pale woman strapped to the table. She looked so still, Rook feared the worst and hurried in, unfastening the clamps around her wrists and ankles. K-2FZ caught her unconscious body before she could fall and looked at Rook, stating clinically. "Her life signs appear very weak."

"Then we must get her to a healer," Rook declared firmly. "We shall take her to Sensational Saw."

"Was he not decommissioned by the Empire because they suspected him of being a Rebel, and he escaped?" K-2FZ replied with concern.

"He was," Rook agreed. "Which is all the more reason to seek him out. He will want revenge on the Empire, no doubt. Can discover where he is?"

"I can hack into any system to find one's location," K-2FZ replied confidently.

~~

Later that afternoon, they found themselves outside of a dilapidated looking door on level 12 of the city. As a higher level, it had not been subject to the seizures of the others, but it was still not necessarily the best neighborhood. There were many Imperial civilian workers on this level.

Then again, perhaps it made sense to hide right under their noses, Rook thought.

K-2FZ pounded on the door.

"What do you want?" a sour voice asked from inside after the unit near the door had scanned them/

"We seek Sensational Saw," Rook replied in a low tone.

"He is no longer in business," the voice snapped. "The Imperials do not trust him."

"We are not fond of them, sooo," Rook replied. 

"You look like Imperials," the voice snapped.

"We aren't," Rook hissed softly, glancing around to ensure they weren't attracting too much attention. "We stole this uniform and broke someone out."

There was a long suffering sigh, and the door finally slid open, revealing a tall, black man with gray hair and several cybernetics. He glared at them hard for a moment.

"Well don't just stand there," he snapped. "Bring them in."

Rook exchanged a glance with K-2FZ before he followed the man into the house, and K-2FZ carried the Dread Smuggler in, the door sliding closed behind them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sensational Saw assists Rook and K-2FZ, and they get ready to try and storm a castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Star Wars or the Princess Bride.
> 
> This is crack....complete and utter crack. If you want a serious piece of literature, this is not it.

Sensational Saw frowned as he leaned over the inert form of the Pilot in Orange. Rook Montoya stood, bouncing nervously on his heels, to one side of the poorly lit but relatively clean living room of Saw's apartment. K-2FZ stood guard near the door at Saw's behest, to ensure that they were not interrupted by unwelcome company.

The man examined the Pilot in Orange carefully, then turned a deadly glare towards Rook, his gray hair as wild as his eyes. "What have you done to her?" he demanded.

A frown creased Rook's brow at Saw's tone. Saw should scare him with that look, but after the past few days, Rook was feeling just a bit burned out of being afraid of things and people. But Sensational Saw's tone made him wonder. Did the man know the Pilot in Orange?

"We have done nothing but recover her from Imperial custody," K-2FZ informed Saw from his post near the door. "The records I hacked into indicate that the Empire is responsible for Dread Smuggler Kenobi's condition and torture."

"Interrogation," Saw hissed angrily. "She is very nearly dead."

"I know," Rook admitted, his eyes worried. "But she is the only hope I think we have to find the Rebels."

Saw eyed the two of them, an Imperial Droid and a washed up looking pilot, suspiciously. "And what is your goal in finding the Rebels? Do you really think they will do anything? They are too afraid of the Empire, sitting back and hiding in their bases while individuals like Kenobi take all the risks."

"Their leaders, maybe," Rook replied. "But the Dread Smuggler is a Rebel, and if she is willing to work for them, surely they do some good? Perhaps at least the soldiers do some good? The man, Jeron, that we, er, met, that the Dread Smuggler came to save from Krecini, he seemed a good man."

Saw eyed them for a long minute then pointed to the Dread Smuggler where she lay on the table. "I will do this, for her, so she can get revenge on the Empire. You two are just a means to an end."

Rook blinked once, glanced at K-2FZ, then shrugged. "Do you really think she would go to try and take on the Empire again, rather than returning to the Rebels."

Saw snorted. "You know nothing of the Dread Smuggler if you do not think she would go after this man Jeron you spoke of. She never leaves a job unfinished." He turned to a series of cabinets and began mixing an odd series of chemicals. If you'd asked Rook later what Saw had made, he would have no idea. Finally, half an hour later, Saw held a vial that glowed an eerie blue. He eyed Rook and K-2FZ.

"Sit her up, Rook. Droid, keep her secure while I pour this down her throat," Saw instructed.

Rook didn't think that the Dread Smuggler was going to react well to waking up and discovering that she was restrained, but they certainly couldn't pour the liquid down her throat when she was laying down. He sighed, carefully maneuvering the Pilot into into a vague sitting position as K-2FZ moved behind the table, letting Rook lean the Dread Smuggler against his large mental frame.

Saw glanced at one, then the other, then very carefully poured the glowing liquid down the Dread Smuggler's throat.

Her body jerked, once, twice, and now Rook and K-2FZ had to hold her in place to keep her from falling over or off the table. After several jerky motions, her eyes snapped open and in a demanding voice she asked, "Who are you, where's Jeron, where am I?"

"Hush now, Stardust," Saw advised her in an almost gentle voice, surprising Rook. "You are in my current hideout. Evidently your friends brought you here."

Stardust leaned limply back against K-2FZ, eying him and Rook for a long time as she recognized them. "You two used to work for Krecini," she accused. "Where is Jeron."

"Currently in the hands of the Empire," Rook informed her. "But K-2 and I can help you find him, if you can help us get to the Rebellion."

She slumped in the other direction to look questioning at Saw. The old man shrugged. "They are your best bet, Stardust, if you wish to find this Jeron of yours. And it may be a bit of time before you can move freely on your own, that brew I gave you isn't as potent as some of my past brews. It is difficult to get supplies down here."

Stardust scowled, but finally she nodded. "Alright, lets do this."

~~  
"So according to the records K-2FZ hacked, High Prince Skyguy is having a big party tonight where he will declare that Jeron is now his heir to the Empire and not just one planet," Rook explained as they crouched over a datapad in Saw's apartment. "There will be a lot of people going in and out of the palace."

"There's a lot of additional security took," Saw snapped as he examined the floor plan of the palace with them. "Ut will make it more difficult to sneak in."

Stardust lifted a brow at him. "Who said anything about sneaking in?" she asked.

Saw scowled. "What are you planning, Stardust?"

"We create a distraction, a bit one, to draw the security to a particular area of the palace, then we either blow up the area or scare them away. Once we're through them, we can slip through the palace and find Jeron."

"Destruction," K-2FZ said in a clinical tone. "It is perhaps not the wisest of plans that you could have come up with, Dread Smuggler, but it may be sufficient."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Stardust replied with a roll of her eyes. She glanced at Saw. "Think you can help us with it?"

Saw continued to scowl at her for several moments, but Rook could see his eyes shifting as if the old man was considering something. "I will not set foot in that palace, my cybernetics are bantha dung...but I can perhaps provide an outside distraction."

"Explosions?" Rook asked.

Saw eyed him before nodded. "Explosions." He tapped the floor plan of the palace. "Here, at the front gate. Something break through the front doors and get you three inside."

"The party is tonight," K-2FZ reminded them.

"Then we'd best get going," Saw replied dryly.

Though still somewhat weak from her near death experience, Rook helped Stardust kit up, ensuring her lightsaber was clipped to her belt, and secured his own. They watched as Saw gathered several odd looking cylinders from a nearby drawer, then followed him and K-2 from the apartment.

Saw was clearly used to navigating through the city without being noticed, and the one time they did encounter trouble, Rook, still in his stolen Imperial uniform, and K-2FZ took care of it, convincing the Imperial security that Saw and Stardust were their prisoners. 

Saw had given Stardust a black cloak to put on over the remains of her orange flightsuit, telling her that the flightsuit color was just a bit too noticeable. She drew the hood up over her face, letting the black fabric flow around her as she let Rook drag her through the side streets of the city until they reached a few streets over from the Palace itself.

Peeking out of an alley, there were white helmets everywhere, not that it surprised any of the four.

"You three wait here," Saw instructed them. "I'm planting charges in a few places. You'll know when it is safe to storm the castle." He smiled, almost a little sadly, at Stardust. "Take care of yourself, Stardust, and make me proud."

Then he was gone.

Stardust sighed, her eyes a little misty for a moment as she watched the old man vanish into the streets, leaning lightly on Rook.

Now, they waited.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our intrepid group makes it into the palace, and Jeron plans his escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Star Wars.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr @serstolas

Rook Montoya watched from the alley where he waited with Stardust and K-2FZ, tapping his foot lightly against the ground, trying to control his own nervous twitching.

They were about to storm a kriffing Imperial Palace, with a droid and a still not all there rebel pilot. How could this possibly work?

“Breathe,” Stardust, the Pilot in Orange's voice, seeped into his ears. “One breath in, one breath out. You've sought justice for your mentor for a very long time. Now may be your chance.”

Rook frowned faintly up at her. “What do you mean?”

“I've heard your name before,” Stardust informed him. “Under my work as the Dread Smuggler.” She smiled. “Your mentor was Galen Mikkelsen, was he not? Famed Imperial Scientist?” She nodded as she saw K-2FZ listening to their conversation. “Though many rumors say that he worked under force. And he encouraged you to break away from the Empire, though somehow you ended up working for Krecini instead of the Rebels.”

“He was,” Rook admitted, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

“The man with the double widows peak, the man who murdered Galen Mikkelsen?” Stardust smirked faintly. “His name is Count Tarkin, and he is one of High Prince Skyguy's righthand men. You have an opportunity, Rook, to take out him and assist the Rebellion.” She lifted her brows. “Will you take it.”

Rook straightened, feeling a certain resolve, and a certain calm, overtake him.

“Yes,” he replied. “I will.”

Any further response Stardust may have given was interrupted by the sound of explosions no more than a block or two away. As they watched, smoke rose from the distance.

“I believe,” K-2FZ said in his dry way, “That would be our queue.” 

With Stardust leaning some on K-2FZ, the three made their way quickly through the streets, ducking down alleyways until they reached the palace. The sight that greeted them, was something akin to chaos.

There were some fallen Stormtroopers, and other troopers looking ready to fire at anything that moved, and still others that were running for the cover of the palace itself. Stardust and Rook exchanged a glance, and the air was filled with the humming sound of Rook's lightsaber.

“I see Rook has decided to play hero,” K-2FZ said in a voice of long suffering. “Come along, Dread Smugger, it would not do for us to stay out here without him.” K-2FZ assisted Stardust with limping through the front entrance to the palace as Rook advanced menacingly with his lightsaber.

Considering the looks of the few troopers or officers paying attention, Stardust forced herself more upright, to make it look as if she were merely walking along beside the droid, and pulled her owns lightsaber free.

The few in their way quickly got out of their way.

~~

Jeron stood before a crowd of simpering Imperial sympathizers and Officers, his face oh so carefully blank, very well aware of the imposing figure of High Prince Skyguy two steps back and one step to the side of him.

Oh how he hated the man.

Jeron knew very well this was all for show, and that Skyguy had threatened to dispose of Jeron more than once over the past few days. The only reason he hadn't yet was because Jeron was particularly popular with the people. Skyguy had informed him quite pleasantly that he would use Jeron's death in another day or two as an excuse to rally the people.

High Prince Skyguy believed Jeron was counting down his final hours.

Jeron knew he was simply looking for another opportunity to escape.

“Gathered friends and allies,” High Prince Skyguy was rambling on as he addressed the crowd. “We have gathered here to announce that Jeron shall-”

From somewhere beyond the grand ballroom, the sound of explosions rocked the foundations of the palace.

“Count Tarkin, see what is going on!” High Prince Skyguy ordered. 

Tarkin gave a sharp nod and pushed his way through the crowd and out of the ballroom.

High Prince Skyguy rumbled behind his mask. “Ahem. I have called you all here to announce the name of my Heir and Prince of Coruscant.” He turned his head, gazing at the crowd and deliberately ignoring the sound of more explosions outside of the palace. 

“Jeron has served for the past few years here on Coruscant, looking into my interests and representing me on certain ventures.” Skyguy nodded. “Therefore, such loyalty must be rewarded.” High Prince Skyguy looked at Jeron, and Jeron could almost imagine the man smirking under that helmet. “Thus, I shall name him the Prince of C-.”

The palace was rocked by another explosions. People began to panic in the crowd, and Jeron could see High Prince Skyguy tensing as the palace shook a third time.

“I must save my heir!” High Prince Skyguy declared above the din of the crowd, and Jeron found his wrist forcibly seized as Jeron examined the situation to find the best chance of escape. He let Skyguy drag him from the ballroom, deciding that the chaos that no doubt was spreading through the palace would be the best chance to escape from Skyguy. He would use the chaos to his advantage.

Jeron follow Skyguy through the halls, mentally ticking through the layout of the palace and the hidden entrances and exits he knew of. Soon enough, he would be free.

~~

The trio's advance through the chaos of the palace halls was brought to a halt by the appearance of one Count Tarkin.

Rook's eyes went flinty and Stardust said in a sharp voice. “Rook, that's him!”

Tarkin moved as if to pull a blaster free from his hip as he glared at the droid and two lightsaber bearing force users.

Then suddenly, he fled down the opposite hall.

“Go after him, Rook!” Stardust urged Montoya.

With a sharp nod, lightsaber humming in his hand, Rook followed.

K-2FZ regarded Stardust as Rook stalked after Tarkin. “And what shall you do?” the droid inquired. 

“I need to find Jeron,” Stardust replied firmly.

“Can you yet walk by yourself?” the droid asked, and if she didn't know any better she would say the droid was showing mild concern for her safety. 

“I'll figure it out,” Stardust replied. “You should make sure Rook doesn't get into too much trouble.”

As if on queue, Rook's voice floated down the hall. “K-2, I need your help getting through this door, my blade won't cut through it!”

With a sigh, K-2FZ left Stardust leaning against a wall, and hurried down the hall towards Rook.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeron and Stardust finally reunite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Star Wars or the Princess Bride.

"Do not think that we are finished, Jeron," High Prince Skyguy hissed as he shoved Jeron into a room and sealed the door shut.

Jeron remained calm during the entire exchange, well aware by this point what Skyguy planned after the whole mess of whoever was attacking the palace was taken care of. The man intended to kill him, and make it look as if it was some sort of political move. No doubt Skyguy would attempt to torture him again first, because by this point Skyguy knew that Jeron was not precisely his, but the Lullabye the Rebellion had given him was long gone. 

Jeron had other plans, though. If he was going out, he would take a portion of the Empire with him. The Rebellion was bigger than one man. He'd always known that death was a possibility. Taking a deep breath, he turned his eyes to the spartan room he'd been shoved into. It appeared to be a fairly standard room the Empire used to house people that they could not afford yet to throw in a normal Imperial prison, but still needed to keep locked up. Simple bed, desk unit, a closet unit meant for clothing, and glasteel window looking out onto the city, giving an illusion that you still had the freedom to see the outside world. While the walls appeared to be an unending mass of durasteel, he knew there had to be a wall unit somewhere that was used to control and monitor the room. If he could find it and hack into it...

Jeron began moving along the wall, probing gently with his fingers, searching for any breaks, any flaws, anything that would indicate the hidden panel where the wall controls were housed.

"It's in here," a familiar voice sounded from behind him.

Jeron flipped around, body automatically going into a defensive stance. His eyes went wide when he saw the panel to the closet was open, and leaning against the wall stood Stardust, her eyes crinkled in mild humor. Jeron didn't remember crossing the room, but he definitely remembered the feeling of Stardust in his arms. She leaned back against him, and he could see the exhaustion in her eyes, but she was here. He held his Stardust in his arms again.

He leaned in briefly to press his lips against her own, and felt her smiling.

She caressed his cheek briefly, then sighed. "More later," she promised him. "First, we have a system to hack." Shifting, he saw a wall panel that she had removed behind her, in the back of the closet. She handed him a small tool and Jeron stepped up, applying himself to the circuitry while Stardust took a stance just outside the closet, the pleasant, comforting hum of her lightsaber accompanying Jeron while he worked.

~~~

K-2FZ easily removed the door panel standing in Rook's way. The droid watched his friend rush off after Count Tarkin and gave a long-suffering beep before he headed back to where he had left the Pilot in Orange. The Pilot was still injured and recovering from her almost-death, and so needed to be watched. It was almost depressing sometimes how weak meat bags could be. Still, K-2FZ found he had developed an odd sort of appreciation for the Pilot in their forced time together. He did not wish for her to come to harm.

When he found she was not in the place he had left her, though, K-2FZ could not help but feel slightly miffed.

"Of course she went charging off into danger by herself, because that is what heroes do. I shall have to go and see what I can come up with to get her and the others out of the mess they are bound to find themselves in."

Resolutely, K-2FZ continued down the hall, determining that he would need to find adequate transportation to get them out of here and to the rebellion.

Despite the troops rushing around in their dull white helmets and the general chaos about the attack that Sensational Saw had generated, everyone more or less ignored him as he made his way towards the hanger bay his hack of the palace systems told him was located at the end of the hallway. They would need something small and maneuverable, but large enough to transport them all away from the planet. If everyone was successful, there would be 3 humans and himself. 

He plugged along steadily, ignored because he was an Imperial droid, even if he appeared to be in the wrong place, most humans in the Empire thought droids were foolish anyway, workhorses to be used, and K-2FZ used this to his advantage. 

He slipped into the hanger bay, nothing less troops here, good he was less likely to be noticed absconding with one of their ships until it was too late. He was analyzing each ship for his purpose, moving quietly among them, when he felt someone pull him into a cargo hold. He turned to correct the meatbag when he saw a familiar smirk from the cyborg.

"Think you're willing to assist the Rebellion?" Sensational Saw asked him.

K-2FZ paused for a moment. "If it is assisting Rook, Jeron, and Stardust, yes."

Saw grinned at him. "Then lets go help out friends."

~~~

Rook charged after Tarkin, determined to get justice for his mentor. How many people had Tarkin hurt, Rook wondered.

He would not give the man the chance to ever hurt another living soul.

Tarkin found himself cornered and turned, drawing himself up in an attempt to intimidate Rook. "You! I recognize you now. Little brat. You were one of Galen's assistants. Never would have gotten anywhere without your master, and now you are nothing without him." Tarkin sneered. "I should have killed you when I killed him.

Rook stood his full height. Though Tarkin might be several inches taller than he, and it had intimated him in the past, his time with K-2FZ, and his journey since Galen had been killed had changed him in ways Tarkin could not begin to understand. Rook did not respond to the verbal taunting with taunts of his own, letting Tarkin draw him into an arguement or an exchange of words was pointless. Tarkin's words revealed he felt no remorse for his actions, and now Rook merely had a job to finish before returning to his friends.

He flipped on his lightsaber, and the comforting hum of the blade filled the room.

Tarkin's eyes went wide a moment, then he sneered in bravado. "Do you really think a shiny light blade will intimate me? Skyguy has one, and I fear him, or any of you who hold to that old, foolish religion!"

Rook was anticipating Tarkin's next move as the man attempted to charge past him to the door to escape.

With a smooth thrust, Rook impaled Tarkin on his lightsaber.

The Count's eyes went wide for a moment, before he fell back to the floor. 

Rook Montoya considered the dead man for a moment, then turned and headed back the way he'd come, ready to reunite with his friends, and join the Rebellion.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens to our intrepid heros? Do they escape? Does High Prince Skyguy get his just deserts?
> 
> And did the girls enjoy their Uncle Baze's story?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all my readers who stuck with me through this cracktastic journey? I don't normally write crack, but I had fun with this one. 
> 
> And yes I know Vader might have been able to beat Jyn, but this _is_ crack.
> 
> hit me up on tumblr @serstolas
> 
> Special thanks to NewLeeland and Imasfire for being willing to read my crack-filled Rebelcap fic.

"There." 

Satisfaction filled Stardust's tone as she drew back from the panel. "I think the Rebellion can definitely make use of this information." She looked at Jeron, her smile softening. "And I think most of them will be happy to have you safely back in the fold. I can't say anything about Draven, but that man is never happy."

Jeron snorted softly as he placed an arm around Stardust, knowing she still felt a little shakey from her ordeal earlier. "Draven won't be happy that my cover is completely blown, but there's nothing to be done about it. Hopefully, this data will keep him from ranting too much about it." He didn't particularly look as if he believed that statement, but for Stardust, it was more important that Jeron was going to be somewhere safe for the first time in years. Sure, they would both get sent on missions again soon, but Jeron deserved a chance to recover from everything, even if it ended up only being for a few days.

"Now, we need to figure out how to get out of here," Stardust said with a frown as she leaned back against Jeron.

"I do not believe that will be possible," a deep, mechanical voice hissed from the doorway.

Stardust and Jeron's eyes narrowed at the appearance of High Prince Skyguy. The black mechanical monstrosity loomed in the doorway, attempting to appear threatening to the two of them.

"You will both surrender," High Prince Skyguy ordered. "And you will give me all information you have pertaining to the Rebellion."

Stardust quirked a disbelieving brow at that as Jeron shook his head lightly as if clearing it. "Did you really expect that to work?" Stardust asked. She wiggled her fingers. "I can do the mind trick thingy too. And sorry, but you aren't the most impressive person I've witness try and use it on me. Jeron and I are going to leave, and you are going to get out of our way."

Skyguy gave a dark laugh. "Do you truly believe that you can bypass me and just walk out the door?" There was a hum as he flicked on his lightsaber, red blade glowing.

Stardust barked out her own laugh and flicked on her blue lightsaber. "It is possible, you mechanical moron, that you can threaten us."

She took a step forward without Jeron's assistance. "It is entirely plausible, you Burn-In Blowhard, that you may have affected us with your Jedi mind trick."

Another step forward. "And it is probable, you Cybernetic Suckass, that you have got us cornered."

Then she flung her hand forward, and using the abilities that her master had taught her years ago, pulled the red lightsaber out of Skyguy's hand, and into her own. She shifted her stance, holding a lightsaber threateningly in each hand. "Then again, maybe you don't." She thrust both sabers forward in a practiced motion. "Get out of our way."

She could see the shock in High Prince Skyguy's jerky movements as he staggered sideways in surprise. Disengaging the red lightsaber, Stardust pulled on the force, and slammed Skyguy back into the wall. As she held him there, she looked at Jeron. "Do me a favor and disconnect that panel on his chest."

Jeron smiled ferally in response and quickly ripped away the red and white box panel on Skyguy's chest, sparks flying as Skyguy began gasping for breath through his mask and sank to the floor.

"I knew I should....have...just...killed...you," Skyguy gasped out as Jeron and Stardust walked past him and out into the hall, Stardust clipping Skyguy's lightsaber to her belt. She swayed and Jeron caught her, his expression concerned.

"Took a bit out of me," she explained with a sigh as she leaned against him."

"We still need to get out of here, my love," Jeron told her as he put her arm around his shoulder and helped her down the hall. 

"I can help with that," came Rook's voice from a nearby intersection. "Come on, I found friends."

Exchanging a glance with Stardust, Jeron followed, and when they reached him, Rook helped Jeron carry Stardust to an emergency landing pad. A small shuttle awaited them, with K-2FZ waiting on the doorway to hurry them onto the shuttle.

"Who's flying this thing?" Stardust asked as Jeron and Rook deposited her into a seat.

"That would be me," Sensational Saw's voice came from the cockpit. It made Stardust smile in relief.

As Saw maneuvered the ship out of the planet's airspace and they began to make the jump to hyperspace, Jeron took a seat beside Stardust, taking her hand in his own and kissed her palm. "I have missed you," he told her. 

She smiled, a little weary, but happy. "I missed you too. After this...well, we're working together next time, got it?"

"Gladly," Jeron agreed.

"I believe your odds of survival greatly improve if you work together," F-2KZ informed them.

Stardust chuckled, then her gaze was drawn to Rook, who looked a little lost. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

"I've spent my life trying to avenge my Mentor's death. Now that Galen's killer is dead, I find myself unsure what to do," Rook Montoya sighed.

Stardust gave him a onceover, then grinned. "Have you ever thought about smuggling? You'd make a wonderful Dread Smuggler Kenobi."

As they made the jump to hyperspace, Stardust and Jeron turned and looked at each other, slowly drawing closer, until finally, their lips touched. They were together again, at last.

~~~~

Lyra and Leia looked at their Uncle Baze with wide eyes before both girls burst into applause. 

"That was fantastic!" Leia cried. "Lightsabers, and Stardust beating people in duels!"

"And the spaceships," Lyra agreed. She yawned then, triggering a similar yawn in Leia. "Can you read it again?"

"Maybe tomorrow, my dears," Baze chuckled softly as he set the book aside and rose, pulling Chirrut to his feet. "Well now, think you two girls will be able to sleep now?"

"I think so, Unca Baze," Lyra replied. She snuggled closer to her sister as Baze came over and pulled a blanket over the two girls. He leaned over, hugging them both, and Chirrut did the same, kissing their foreheads.

"Rest well, little ones," Chirrut told them.

"Night Unca Baze, Unca Chirrut," the two girls said in unison.

They were out before Chirrut and Baze closed the door.

"Well, I think that went well," Chirrut commented as he made his way to the living room, his husband in tow. "I do wonder what Jyn and Cassian will think of the whole thing, since the characters are based on them, after all."

Baze gave a rumbling laugh. "They'll like it, or they don't have to read it," he replied. He pulled Chirrut to him. "Now come here, and give me true love's kiss."

Chirrut chuckled, and complied.


End file.
